Sir Alex Ferguson has reacted to stories that this could be his final season
in charge of Manchester United by insisting that he will remain at Old
Trafford for “a bit of time”.

Ferguson turned 71 on Monday and celebrated 26 years in the job in November, having reversed a decision to retire in 2002, but speculation has mounted this season that this really will be his last.

“I’m hoping to stay on for a bit of time,” he said. “In terms of football management, I have achieved everything I always wished for.

“It’s been a great journey for me but being manager of Manchester United, you have to kick on. You can’t look back. The drive is always on to do better.”

Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and Everton manager David Moyes have been talked about as potential successors for Ferguson. But the United manager maintains plenty can change before the Premier League leaders need to look for a replacement.

“It’s very difficult,” Ferguson added. “Over the years names have been bandied about, but football is such a precarious industry that you could be talking about one of the potentially exciting young managers in the game, but is he going to be here in two or three years’ time?”

United retained their seven-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table with their 4-0 win over Wigan, with Robin van Persie scoring twice the day after City manager Roberto Mancini said that the Dutchman had been the difference in the title race.

Ferguson said he never doubted that the striker, 29, who has already scored 16 Premier League goals since joining from Arsenal in a £24 million deal in the summer, would make such an impact.

“We knew we were getting a top player, a major player who would make a difference to the team. That’s why we went for him,” Ferguson said.

“I knew he would make the difference because of his maturity, because he has great international experience. He’s played for Arsenal for eight years and he came to us at the very peak of his career, which we are delighted about. His ability to make and take goals is fantastic.

“His play for his first goal was absolutely magnificent, his turn, his balance, no drawback, just side-footed it in. It was a really good goal.”

After letting an eight-point lead slip in the last six games of last season, Ferguson is adamant that there is no prospect of United taking their advantage over second-placed City for granted.

“Over the years, December has been a good month for us,” Ferguson said. “This time it has put us into a seven-point lead with 17 games left. It’s not what I would say is a healthy lead, but it is a lead.

“It gives us something to kick on with. We just don’t want to make mistakes like we did last year.”

Only four players – David de Gea, Patrice Evra, Jonny Evans and Michael Carrick – started each of United’s four festive fixtures and Ferguson made five changes for the trip to the DW Stadium. By contrast, seven Wigan players were in the starting line-up for all of the four games they played in 11 days.

“It was an unfair game for us,” Wigan manager Roberto Martínez said. “United can make those changes and not drop the quality. It was a mismatch and it was unfair to play against the league leaders after four games in 11 days and with little chance to rotate. We didn’t have the legs or the reaction.”